Although he had been a major tenor saxophonist in the studios for nearly 20 years and was quite popular for his work with
the Brecker Brothers, this MCA/Impulse set was
Michael Brecker's first as a leader. Playing in a quintet with guitarist
Pat Metheny, keyboardist
Kenny Kirkland, bassist
Charlie Haden, and drummer
Jack DeJohnette,
Brecker performs three of his originals, two by producer
Don Grolnick, and
Mike Stern's "Choices." The music in general is straight-ahead but far from predictable; the tricky material really challenges the musicians and
Michael Brecker is in consistently brilliant form, constantly stretching himself. Highly recommended. ~ Scott Yanow